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Too Hot To Handle’s David Birtwistle reveals he’s engaged to doctor girlfriend after romantic proposal in Rome
David auditioned for the reboot of Gladiators and has revealed gruelling physical tests
TOO Hot To Handle star David Birtwistle has revealed he's busy planning his wedding to girlfriend Hazel Wallace after their romantic engagement.
The fitness expert, who was once Britain's most eligible bachelor before meeting doctor Hazel in a bar in 2021, popped the question on a romantic trip to Rome last summer.
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Stunned Hazel was blown away as David, 33, dropped to his knees outside the same church her parents were married in.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, David credited his reality TV past on hit Netflix show Too Hot To Handle for helping him find lasting love.
He said: "I learnt a lot from doing Too Hot To Handle and it really shaped me into who I've become now.
"I'm blessed to have had the opportunity because I'm now in an amazing relationship which I love being a part of and wouldn't change for the world.
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"That is a part of my life which has happened, I'm engaged and more happy than I've ever been."
He added: "The wedding is 2025 so just in the process of planning that right now and it's all very, very exciting."
The former rugby player now runs his own personal online coaching service, Endeavour Life, with the aim of helping people achieve their fitness goals.
Muscular David put that expertise to good use last year when he auditioned to be a Gladiator for the BBC reboot.
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Around 80 athletes battled it out for the honour of wearing the famous Lycra leotards that helped make the likes of Hunter, Jet, Wolf, Lightning and Rhino household names in the 90s.
Despite being a physical specimen himself, show super fan David quickly realised he was up against it upon arrival at the Lee Valley Athletic Centre for a physical testing day.
He explained: "There was a whole variety of very difficult fitness tests.
"There was even head to head wrestling in a ring with another person, and that was really intense because the person they paired me up with was this absolute giant.
"He was so big.
"Even though I'm relatively strong this guy outweighed me by like 20 or 25 kilos of muscle. He was huge.
"It was really good fun. It's really enjoyable to do that sort of thing because I like fitness and competing and stuff."
David, who is speaking at The National Running Show in Birmingham at the weekend, grew up watching the programme and it sparked his interest in fitness and the physical condition.
The ex-reality star had even selected his Gladiator name ahead of his testing day, wanting to be known as Hurricane if he made it.
He said: "The original Gladiators that was classic TV when I was growing up. It was one of the things I loved.
"The guys that were doing it, it was the first exposure I got to really strong athletic people.
"It was something that really inspired me as part of my whole fitness journey.
"The idea of being part of the remake it would have been an absolute dram to live out your childhood fantasies."
Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.
David continued: "I was really disappointed when I didn't get it, but I knew I was going to be a really high standard.
"It was always going to be hyper-competitive.
"They were always going to find the best of the best. They were going to find absolute specimens and they did it.
"As soon as I saw the lineup I was thinking where would I fit into this. What would my physical capabilities have been?
"These are fantastic athletes. You've got Zack George, the fittest man in the UK, this is the level they're playing at.
"They're not just picking people who are fit. They're picking the best people in the country."
Undeterred by the door closing on his Gladiators dream, David has instead set his sights on a series of super tough endurance events over the next 18 months.
First up is the London Marathon in April which he will follow with a 100km Ultra Marathon in the summer.
He'll end the year with an Iron Man event, before taking on the challenge of a lifetime in 2025 when he'll do 55 half Iron Mans, in 55 days, in 55 cities in England.
David admitted: "You can't really fully prepare for it, that's the truth.
"I won't be ready for it, even when the day comes, because it's such a unique challenge.
"I'll be speaking to the best coaches I can get on the phone and I've got a good support team to look at nutrition because that's one of the most important things with these bug events.
"Just like a car if you don't put enough petrol it you're not going to get very far."
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It's all part of his ultimate goal of raising money for charity and encouraging the younger generation to be fitter and healthier - something he'll no doubt do in spades.
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